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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22796266">Live Forever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadingStuffNow/pseuds/ReadingStuffNow'>ReadingStuffNow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DCU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Arrow (TV 2012), Green Arrow (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:21:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,206</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22796266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadingStuffNow/pseuds/ReadingStuffNow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Mara was the firstborn grandchild of Ra's Al Ghul, but would never be his heir.</p><p>OR</p><p>Where Mara Al Ghul realizes she'll never be enough.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DCU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When she was six, Mara was fluent in four languages and semi-fluent in a fifth. At seven, she could defeat the foot soldiers called <em>Shadows </em>with ease. By ten, she was on par with some of the top members of the Leauge.</p><p>But, none of that mattered.</p><p>Mara was born flawed. She was the daughter of the White Ghost<span>— a disgrace to the Leauge, an impurity. And more importantly, she was a <em>daughter</em>.</span></p><p>
  <span>But, her cousin— well, Damian was seemingly <em>perfect</em>. He was the son of Talia— the favored child of Ra's —and the <em>Batman</em>. It wasn't even fair to compare them. But, everyone always did. <em>Damian broke his arm and still beat your time; Damian just bested another tutor; Damian is a natural talent— </em>it all made Mara <em>sick</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except, Damian <em>messed up</em>. He became weak. Their home was attacked and rather than stay and fight like <em>Mara</em>, he ran away to his father. Mara couldn't fight the happiness she felt when she heard <em>that</em> news. She remembered when her aunt— not Talia, but <em>Nyssa</em> —returned from India to find <em>her </em>at the side of her grandfather, holding Damian's blade as her own. Her cousin had abandoned them and Ra's was proving a point by bringing Mara higher. She was not ever going to be his heir and now he saw neither would his grandson.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mara just couldn't tell.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>At fifteen, Mara had only left Nanda Parbat twice, and never on her own. She was . . . bored. Not with her position or placement in life— of course, she was <em>very</em> grateful for her grandfather's care. Her grandfather made her strong and powerful— he was a good man who taught her well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, she grew bored with confinement. She envied her aunt— Nyssa got to go all over the world. She often brought Mara back trinkets from her travels— bejeweled daggers, golden crowns. Of course, she had always brought Damian more, back when he was still loyal, but—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was all beside the point. Mara treasured the gifts from her aunt, but none of them were enough. Not really. Her home— while extravagant —was nothing more than a <em>speck</em> compared to the rest of the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At fifteen, Nyssa and Talia had been around the world more than once, doing her grandfather's bidding. It was high time that Mara do the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her aunt agreed. Four months shy of her sixteenth birthday— at which time, Mara would leave Nanda Parbat to study with the Priestesses for a full year —</span>
  <span>she was to leave and head to Starling City, to retrieve her aunt's beloved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mara thought her aunt weak to waste her energy of something as trivial as <em>love</em>. But, she was grateful— <em>beyond</em> grateful —for the chance to see the world. Even if it was just some city in America— Mara would walk a mile through a pig stye if it meant she got to see the sunset from someplace other than her home's roof.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite herself and her training, Mara was <em>excited</em>.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mara had forgotten how <em>noisy </em>planes were. Like a car driving down a gravel road, but so much <em>worse</em>.</p><p>She was used to silence. Her ears were finely tuned to listen to her surroundings and the noise combined with the initial shakiness— <em>turbulence</em>, she corrected —was almost enough to make her sick.</p><p>Closing the small window on the private jet, she attempted to ignore the feeling of discomfort. Not even an hour after leaving Nanda Parbat and already, she was complaining. This was not time for sickness or retreat. This was time for <em>action</em>.</p><hr/><p>It only took an hour for Mara to find one of the <em>teer's</em> friends. Her aunt had informed her of his apparently <em>secret </em>base before she left, making it a matter of waiting. She balanced on the rafters, much more comfortable being so high up when it was <em>quiet</em>.</p><p>She walked across the thick beams with ease, wondering absentmindedly what her cousin was doing. Mara hadn't seen Damian since they were children, when he left. Abandoned the Leauge and his rivalry with Mara— as though she wasn't a worthy opponent. It annoyed her, but Mara supposed Damian was probably scared off. And if he could see her now— on a mission for their amazing aunt <em>Nyssa</em> —he would surely be jealous.</p><p>Of course, he got to live with his father— the <em>Batman</em>. He was <em>Robin</em>— a hero. That was something she would never be. The Leauge was a place for justice in the form of vengeance. Weakness had no place in the League. There would be no weaklings to save, nobody to protect. Anyone who could not handle the pressures would be taken care of in more permanent ways. If people disagreed, they were against the Leauge. Against <em>her</em> family. That type of disobedience could not be tolerated. And as the granddaughter of Ra's Al Ghul, it was <em>her</em> job to protect the Leauge— to kill for it.</p><p>Mara would never be a hero.</p><p>But, she had meaning as well. After her birthday, she would study with the Priestesses in Egypt and then return and become a full-fledged member of the Leauge. Her grandfather even said that she could assemble her own team— a Demon's Fist —once she was fully grown. Damian could never do that— not now.</p><p>A gruff voice interrupted her jealous thoughts, signaling the arrival of the birdie's friends.</p><p>"Hello, Friends of <em>Ta-er al-Sahfer</em>," Mara greeted, dropping down in front of the <em>Arrow</em>. "My <em>Khalto </em>has sent for her beloved."</p><p>(The Canary— Aunt/Auntie)</p><p>"Your aunt?" He translated, looking down at the teenager in confusion.</p><p>She nodded in conformation, looking around the cave. "Is the <em>teer</em> hiding from me?"</p><p>(Bird)</p><p>"She's . . . " The man cleared his throat, hesitating. "Sara is <em>dead</em>."</p><p>Mara froze, eyes locking with the Arrow's. "Dead?"</p><p>"Yes, she— we . . . "</p><p>Mara waved him off, hand resting on her forehead. "<em>Chara</em>."</p><p>(Crap)</p><p>A pang of guilt hit her. Maybe if she had left earlier or if she had done <em>something</em> different—</p><p>"Did you know her well?"</p><p>Mara looked up at the blonde woman staring at her, her face clearly injured. She recognized this girl— this woman. Laurel Lance— the Canary's sister.</p><p>Mara shook her head, straightening her posture. "Much of my time was devoted to lessons. I did not see her or my <em>Khalto</em> much."</p><p>The group of adults— six in total —looked at her quietly. Mara had come in street clothes, jeans and a black sweatshirt, her hood drawn up. She felt uncomfortable to be so . . . <em>unarmed</em>. Her katana was at her waist, the only thing out of place. If it wasn't for the silver blade, she could have passed as a regular teenager. At least, she presumed that she would. Her espionage skills were somewhat subpar; Grandfather never thought she would leave, she knew that. As heir to the Demon, her place was in Nanda Parbat.</p><p>The group of adults looked as uncomfortable as Mara felt. She clicked her tongue, trying to think of what her aunt would do. What the next course of action would be.</p><p>
  <em>Vengeance.</em>
</p><p>Mara smiled inwardly. If she captured the <em>teer's</em> killer, brought her aunt his head, that would make things better.</p><p>"Do you have any idea who killed her?"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So . . . any thoughts on Mara? I'm kind of doing my own take on her, because I don't know a bunch about her character. Let me know if you have any requests!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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